Rural-Urban Migration in Africa: Theory, Policy and Research Implications

It is the aim of this paper to examine from a theoretical standpoint the process of rural-urban migration in Africa and its role in economic development with a view toward proposing a research agenda to address key policy issues. We do this in three stages. First the large body of theoretical and empirical knowledge of the rural-urban migration process in Africa is briefly reviewed emphasising those characteristics which are most important in Africa and the deficiencies in our present understanding of rural-urban migration. Second this knowledge is synthesized into a theoretical framework for analyzing rural-urban migration with emphasis on economic variables. This framework is then used to explore some of the policy implications of present-day rural-urban migration for economic development in Africa. Finally priority areas for future migration research are discussed with particular reference to improve theory improved methodology and the integration of migration research and policy analysis. (excerpt)